First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin

First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin publishes its worship services as a podcast, and the sermon never comes on its own. The congregation's own practices come with it, and they say as much about the church as the preaching does. Services open with a minister giving name, role and pronouns, and often describing themselves aloud as well: age, race, hair, glasses, even the stole they are wearing. A welcome litany follows, almost word for word the same from one service to the next, naming every beginning and path, every expression of human flowering, all pronouns, all abilities and disabilities. People watching remotely are invited to post a hello in the comments and say where they are joining from. Those in the sanctuary are sent to the social hour. Several people share the work. Lead minister Reverend Chris Jimerson opens many of the services. He can be dry, too: after noting that the faith is not infallible, he introduces himself as the 'also not infallible' minister. Assistant minister Reverend Carrie Holly Hurt opens the Easter service and the Trans Day of Visibility service, and a lay leader named Nancy introduces herself in 'Mindfullness When the Present Feels Overwhelming'. Others add more voices. Dr. Elias Ortega, president of Meadville Lombard Theological School, is guest worship leader for 'A Faith that Dares a Radical Welcome'. L.B. Lomeli, introduced as someone who came to Unitarian Universalism after a long stretch of recovering from Christianity, preaches in 'Visibility Beyond Disparity'. The sermons go in different directions. The radical-welcome service follows a woman who spent twelve years waved away from the well and turned back from the market under purity codes, weighing the risk of simply stepping into a crowd. That recording closes on a blessing: 'Daughter. Son. Beloved. You are made whole.' 'Revolution Began/Begins with a Dream' goes back to May 1825, when the American Unitarian Association was formed at the Berry Street Conference, with Henry Ware Jr. among those who decided they could not wait any longer. It names those founders as ancestors and the present congregation as their hope. 'Ceremony of Firsts' is built around a new ritual by Sol Carnell that the Unitarian Universalist Association is set to publish so other churches can use it. Add 'Of UU Easter Theology' and the titles move between Easter, identity, mindfulness and the tradition's own history. The closings are brief and ceremonial. One puts out a flame but keeps 'the light of truth, the warmth of community' and 'the fire of commitment' before sending everyone off in peace. For a first listen, 'Ceremony of Firsts' shows how the congregation makes ritual, and 'A Faith that Dares a Radical Welcome' carries the story of the woman at the edge of the crowd.